Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy 2010!

One last photo from 2009. Our little tree is hanging in there, and the boys are growing fast.

Best wishes to all our readers for a wonderful new year!!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas 2009

ah, the before picture

This is the sight the boys saw when they came out of their rooms Christmas morning. Alex was so excited about the horses. He kept shouting "There's a horse down there! There's two horses down there! Zachary! Look! Horses!" It was fun! Alex and Zachary had some time to tone up their paper ripping skills with stockings from Santa. Alex and Zachary both received the trains they asked Santa for. Zachary is still a little hesitant with the opening, but next year he should be a pro!

Alex had a hard time waiting between presents, and Zachary ran out of steam before he was quite done, but all in all, a fun time, and it didn't take us as long as last year!
Yikes, and now the after picture

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve


We are still hammering out our holiday traditions, but I think we have Christmas Eve solidified. A lot of it comes from my childhood traditions, with some slight adjustments. After dinner we went for a walk to see some lights and also the view across the bay. Then home to open one present. My mom always gave us jammies to open on Christmas Eve (I think her mom did too), of course, she usually made them for us. I do not make them, but I have stuck to the jammy idea. As I was looking back at last year's pictures and comparing to this year, Alex really seems to enjoy jammies! He gets very excited and wants to put them on right away (all part of the plan). Just before bed we made sure our stockings were hung up and ready for Santa. Unlike last year, I put the presents under the tree during their afternoon nap. They were very good about not playing with the boxes. It was a good thing to have that done, as Phil and I were up quite late putting some big surprises together!

The promised train ride

Alex, Zachary and I went to the zoo to ride the train today! Of course my plan to ride the train first was foiled when we arrived before the train began its rounds. So even though it wasn't part of the plan, and we had no stroller, we went into the zoo to pass the time. At the gift shop, Zachary picked out a small stuffed animal (a kinkajou) and hugged it the entire day. He calls it "am-mul". After a quick circuit that included climbing on a big snake, taking a rest in the middle of the path, and a performance by the gibbons, we made it back for our train ride. We even stayed on for a second ride!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Zoo Lights

The boys have been very excited about the lights this year, and Zoo Lights was a huge hit! It was a cold night for it again this year, but we learned from the past and made sure the boys had their hats and mittens on. No red hands on the rides this year! So even though he really wanted to see the lights, Alex also wanted to ride the train. (When doesn't he?) As we walked past each new light display, he would say "I want to ride the train" "The train is going" "I hear the train".
By the time we made it to the train, the line was very, very long. We timed one train cycle and realized we would be in line for at least another 1/2 hour, and it was already past bedtime. I was able to convince Alex that we would come back soon and ride the train for absolutely sure! And here is our lesson to learn for next year: Ride the Train First!!!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

A Special Day

We made 4 kinds of cookies today to help us celebrate the Season. Zachary and Alex helped me cut out sugar cookies and then they decorated them. I don't think Zachary understood what was happening. When it was his turn to cut out cookies, he grabbed a piece of dough and started to eat it. Then he mostly just ate the decorations, although a few did make it onto the cookies!




Then, just before bedtime, we had a Very Special Visitor! Santa came to our house to visit and bring an early gift! When the doorbell rang, I called to the boys to come see who was at the door. I opened the door to Santa and his helper and Alex turned and ran out of the room. Zachary let out a blood-curdling scream and hid his face in the wall. A great start. Phil corralled Alex and I picked up Zachary and we all talked to Santa for a minute and Zachary started to wave to him. Alex sat on Santa's lap and told him he wanted a train. Zachary decided it was OK to sit with Santa too but didn't talk. Santa asked if he wanted a train too and Zachary finally said "yeah". Both boys thanked Santa and told him and Merry Christmas. We gave Santa some of our yummy cookies and watched him from the front window, waving until he was out of sight.

Merry Christmas!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Preschool Program

Alex's pre-school hosted a Christmas program and potluck tonight. It was very short, but cute. Alex's class sang some songs first, and then the older class sang. When Alex's class was done singing, Teacher Renate told them to look for their families so they could go sit with them. I stood up so he could see me, and he called out "My Mommy!" Such a sweetie. After the second set of songs, we said the pre-school's snack prayer and went to the Fellowship Hall for a potluck and a visit from Santa. Zachary was completely freaked out by Santa, we didn't get any pictures. Alex did a wonderful job during the program and said that he liked it when the people clapped for him.

Monday, December 14, 2009

A weather break

We had a break in the rain today, so after naps, the boys and I went for a walk and stopped to play at the park. Both Alex and Zachary hung from the monkey bars without support from me. They both ran around in the sand and climbed all over the play structure. The highlight of the day was swinging on the big kid swings. I wasn't sure if Zachary was ready for it, but he held on and kept asking for "more".

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Deck the Halls

Redskins vs Raiders


Phil's childhood team, the Washington Redskins were in town to take on the Raiders. Through work, he scored free tickets (in the upper, upper deck, known locally as Mt. Davis). It was a cold and rainy day, somewhat odd this time of year, but we gathered piles of clothing and blankets and hit the road. We tailgated a bit beforehand, the boys love to sit in the back of the car so they had a lot of fun snacking. There was some sort of police activity behind our car, so we had to snack a bit longer than we planned. Once that cleared up, we made it into the stadium in time to watch the last few minutes of warm-ups before beginning the climb. (A funny side note: On the way in, the Marines were collecting Toys for Tots. We didn't have any toys, but Alex took some money to the Marine. He thanked Alex and put his hand out to shake hands and Alex gave him 5 instead. It was cute. Zachary got in on the high 5 action later too!) So here's the game recap photos.
A nice few of the City through the raindrops. An early big play by the 'Skins.

The scoreboard when we left. Alex said "I'm done with the football game."

Zachary's game day notes. Halfway to the top of the stadium, we stopped to take a break from carrying the boys. Zachary promptly fell backwards into a puddle. His bum was soaked! Just after kick-off, he cuddled up on Phil and slept for the entire time we were there.

It was fun, but I sure am glad our tickets were free!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Pedal Pusher

A short video of Alex pedaling. His bike has an incredibly squeaky wheel.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Bike riding

Just some fun pictures of the boys hanging out, and during the fun, Alex pedaled his bike for the first time!




Thursday, November 26, 2009

Auntie Nichole


We had a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year. Auntie Nichole came to visit us for the week, and instead of the turkey dinner, we headed to the City and Fisherman's Wharf. The plan had been to have Mexican or Chinese food, but all the local places were closed for the day. Of course we rode the carousel at the Wharf.



Did I mention carousels? We went to the ride area of the zoo for a few hours of fun.

Poor Zachary is still too short to ride anything other than the carousel. Soon, little man!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Thanksgiving Fun

Riding in a caboose on a misty, chilly day.
Alex's school program. (sorry about the lighting)Goofy Goofs!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Crafty Boys

One morning while shopping at Lakeshore, we discovered that it was kids' craft time. Alex wanted to try the craft, so we signed up and found an empty chair. Check out his bug magnet!He had so much fun, I was inspired to try some crafts with the boys at home. As much as I love being crafty, I have hesitated to include the boys out of a fear of messes. We all went to the craft store to pick out supplies. Here are the boys working hard on their turkeys!

And the finished products:
I was parent helper at pre-school for "H" week. Here's the snack Phil helped me create from crispy treats!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

A Quick Trip

We took a long weekend trip to Seattle for a friend's wedding. The boys stayed with Gma and Grandpa while Phil and I headed into the city for the wedding, and went on various other solo side trips. There are so many fun things at Gma and Grandpa's house that are clearly lacking at our own. Here are some photo highlights:
Fingerpainting

Piano Duets








Pick-up trucks and Tractor rides